


Some Like It Hot

by nicayal



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Coffee Shops, Everyone is alive and happy by the end of this, M/M, One Shot, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-15
Updated: 2016-05-15
Packaged: 2018-06-08 11:28:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6852808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nicayal/pseuds/nicayal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Roxas hates high maintenance coffee shop customers as much as the next person. It's not his fault the barista forgot the second drizzle of caramel over his two-percent trenta.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Some Like It Hot

**Author's Note:**

> This was a prompt from writer [silvermyth](http://archiveofourown.org/users/silvermyth/pseuds/silvermyth) based on a post going around Tumblr that starts with the words "I wish you would write a fic where..." 
> 
> Her prompt was as follows: _...everyone is happy. Give me some fluff, like a coffee shop AU or something where Roxas overhears Axel bitching about him as a customer and starts playing nice (ironically, at first) and then they accidentally fall in love or something._
> 
> For the record, I am not great at fluff, but I gave the coffee shop AU a shot. You know, for science.

"Oh, my god."

Roxas studied the drink that had just been slid across the cafe counter with a sinking feeling on the heels of his murmured comment. He stole a glance behind the counter where three baristas were rushing to fulfill a flood of weekday morning orders as a rock formed in the pit of his stomach.

"Uh, excuse me?"

His words were lost amid the din of patron conversations, of a faucet dripping plump water droplets into a metallic sink basin and the whistle of an espresso machine accompanied by the hiss of misted steam.

Red hair entered his line of vision. Quickly, Roxas looked away, only to be jostled by another customer who'd stepped into an open space at the counter beside him.

The woman looked between him and the tall cup of coffee.

"Is that your drink?"

Glancing around to confirm she wasn't talking to anyone else, Roxas nodded.

"Okay. So, why are you still here?" Her voice was testy, tone more than a little impatient. "There are others waiting."

Oh. Right.

Hesitantly, Roxas reached for the cup.

Except…

More red hair, this time closer and with a friendly smile rising beneath it as two sets of distinctive eyes locked. Roxas felt his chest clench, heart jumping into the hollow of his throat. For a second, he lost all sense of time and place and just let his gaze travel wildly around the cafe.

How many times had he come here since his summer fellowship had started? By now, it was almost a daily routine.

And he didn't even _like_ coffee.

Two days in, he'd met Axel—if reading the guy's name off a plastic tag pinned to his barista apron qualified as meeting, anyway. Axel seemed friendly, not to mention had a killer smile that complimented unique facial ink, which otherwise would have bordered on felonious. Whenever Axel was on shift, Roxas' trips to this little coffee shop located just a few blocks from his university felt a little less unpleasant.

He still hadn't managed to form more than a word or two in front of Axel, beyond rattling off his drink order with rote precision, eyes nervously moving from the pastry display to the cash register, or pretty much anywhere other than up at Axel.

Pathetic.

At some point, he'd get up the nerve to actually start a conversation, Roxas figured. Just not in the middle of the nine o'clock rush when he was staring down at a drink that had been made incorrectly now for the second time that morning.

Not in the mood to explain himself to a random stranger, Roxas opted to ignore the woman's comment, then raised his hand to try and flag the nearest barista. Fortunately, Axel had already moved back to the other side of the counter and was immersed in taking the next patron's order by the time Roxas had initiated the awkward, one-armed flailing motion.

"Hey, my dude. What's the issue?"

A blond barista turned, brows rising as he took in Roxas' harried expression. His name tag said 'Demyx' and he seemed friendly enough, if a bit flustered.

"Yeah, my order's still not right," Roxas said, pointing to the drink, then mentally preparing himself to be taken for a major jackass for even having to say the next bit. "I asked for an extra drizzle of caramel, but there's only one in this."

A pause, and then, yep, there was the look he'd been expecting, the inevitable blend between exasperation and incredulity. With a dubious expression, Demyx looked between the uncovered drink and Roxas in front of it.

"Are you fucking serious?"

Before Demyx could speak, a female voice rang loud and clear from beside him. It had the same distinct tone of the woman who'd just effectively told him off a minute earlier.

"I get the problem with making it iced when you wanted it hot, but we don't charge for the extra drizzle or anything." As Demyx spoke, he reached for the next cup in a growing line of pending orders. "If that's what you're worried about."

Roxas shook his head.

Yeah, that wasn't it. He also wasn't particularly eager to explain how much grief he'd get from one of the pickiest professors on the planet if he didn't arrive back at his office with the drink made as dictated.

Because Zexion had been very clear when he'd screwed up the first time. It was always, always, _always_ a trenta with two-percent milk, an add-shot, then one extra drizzle of caramel beyond the usual. A single ream-out was all Roxas had needed to ensure he kept a hawk's eye on the barista each time the drink was being made from there on out.

He wasn't exactly sure how Zexion could tell the difference between one-percent milk and two-percent, but if it mattered to him that much so too would the number of sugary flourishes drizzled over its lightly foamed surface, Roxas assumed.

So no, he couldn't drop this. But he could be polite. He could look conciliatory and get it taken care of quickly, if Demyx would cooperate.

"If you could just add one more squeeze of caramel, I'd just really, um…"

By the register Axel turned, looking between him and Demyx. Whatever gratifying words Roxas had been forming died before he could utter them. As Demyx shot him a mildly irked look, then shrugged as he reached to take back the coffee cup, Roxas looked down and tried to tell himself it was the eighty-degree weather that was inducing a swell of heat in his chest. Not Axel. Nope.

With the extra caramel finally added, Roxas muttered a quick word of thanks, then made a grab for the drink.

The jostle of an adjacent elbow tipped the cup in his outstretched hand. It resulted in a sugary mix of coffee and caramel sloshing up out of his cup and onto one arm. Beside him, the woman merely smirked as she nudged her way into the spot where he'd just been standing.

Awesome.

With a sigh and a trek over to the condiment counter, Roxas did his best to salvage the coffee—plus what remained of his quickly expiring dignity. The spill hadn't been major, just enough to coat his hand in a light layer of warm liquid. The caramel added an element of stickiness that the napkin he'd grabbed did nothing to resolve. With resigned acknowledgement that this was going to be a majorly rough day from start to finish, Roxas made a beeline for the bathroom to clean up. No way was he walking around outside with caramel sticking to him in weather this humid. He'd get eaten alive by bugs in the five minutes it took to walk to campus.

Located at one end of a hallway behind the cafe, the bathroom was shared by a handful of businesses in the same complex. Roxas supposed he should be pleased that there wasn't a line, as well as with how the out-of-the-way stall offered a much needed moment of quiet.

He washed off, then retrieved the coffee cup before heading back to the door.

"Oh em _gee_."

This time, it was a familiar voice that had his stomach fluttering as the rest of him froze with the bathroom door clicked just a sliver of an inch open. It was more than enough to see Axel and Demyx at the far end of the hall.

The tone Axel had just spoken in was exaggerated. With his back to Roxas, it was Demyx's face that was easiest to see from his current position.

"I know, man, right?" A light shake of his head followed a dramatic eye roll. "Who orders anything other than iced when it's this hot as balls out?"

"Nah, that's fair though." Roxas caught the sharp line of Axel's chin as his head inclined. "You order something specific and get a drink that's totally different? I'd be asking you to remake that shit too."

From behind the door, Roxas swallowed hard. Oh, Jesus. They were talking about him. At least, that's what it sounded like.

"Okay, fine." Demyx again. "But then the whole mayday arm flailing to get my attention was a little much. At least give me that."

Yep, Roxas concluded, definitely about him.

"But, _um_ , excuse me." With rising chagrin, Roxas listened to Axel perform an impressive rendition of his last exchange with Demyx. "I asked for an _extra_ drizzle of caramel."

It was followed by a round of laughter as both guys turned to lean against the hallway wall.

Good god.

There were sinkholes all over the Gulf Coast, yet none seemed primed to open up beneath this coffee shop bathroom and swallow him in the next sixty seconds. Just his luck.

"At least he was kinda nice about it. Now, _Larxene_ , on the other…"

As Demyx continued talking, Roxas stepped away from the door, no longer listening as he considered his options. Because it seemed like they might be on break, which meant Roxas was effectively screwed. Already late, there was no way he had time to wait for them to return to their work posts.

"…talk about persistent bitchiness. There's a page on Wikipedia with her picture under that entry, for sure. I'd bet money."

Raking the fingers of his free hand through the hair above his forehead, Roxas paced the small space, not so much listening as he was trying to gauge just how long the pair planned to be out there blocking his escape route. Breaks usually lasted, what, ten minutes? Fifteen?

But if one of them decided they needed the bathroom…

Mind made up, even if the rest of him really wasn't, Roxas headed back to the door, coffee in hand. Sucking in a sharp breath, he pushed it open and started the trek down the hallway toward the exit.

Both men went quiet at the sight of him. Shoulders tense and posture rigid, Roxas didn't look up as he passed them at what he hoped wasn't too hasty a pace. He'd taken walks of shame back to his apartment in the early hours of morning wearing the same rumpled clothes as the night before that didn't come even close to being this embarrassing.

Although his gaze was fixed forward, Roxas could feel eyes burning two sets of identical holes into his back as he re-entered the coffee shop.

Out of their sight, Roxas picked up the pace, determined to get as far away from the cafe as possible.

And never return. Because even this fellowship opportunity of a lifetime wasn't worth the guaranteed mortification of future visits. He'd learn to make Zexion's damn coffee on his own, even if it cost a semester's worth of tuition to buy some fancy machine and a year's supply of caramel and specialty coffee grounds. So be it.

He exited into a blast of humid air and the sounds of rush hour traffic assaulting both ears. In light of his recent embarrassment, Roxas hardly noticed any of it, or the sound of a familiar voice calling out from somewhere behind him.

"Hey…"

Slowing at a crosswalk, Roxas glanced at the digital sign of a bank's ticker-tape announcements until it cycled back through to the current time.

Yeah, definitely late. He was surprised he hadn't gotten an email from Zexion by now. Or a text. Or twelve of both.

The light turned, and Roxas entered the crosswalk, sidestepping pedestrians walking in the other direction.

" _Roxas._ Hold up, will you?"

This time the voice registered, along with the words. Heat returned to his face, and for a brief moment Roxas considered ducking down a side street and full-out sprinting, rather than having to face the barista who'd apparently been following him.

He abandoned the idea, reminding himself he was an adult, even if bumbling high school freshman was a closer approximation to how he felt at the moment. Stepping out of the flow of foot traffic, Roxas finally turned. He waited for Axel to catch up to him and schooled his expression into something he hoped looked neutral, maybe a little aloof.

Axel was still wearing his barista apron, the string ties fluttering behind him as he speed-walked the final few yards toward him.

"Man, for someone with short legs, you sure do set a mean pace."

The words were spoken with open-mouthed breathlessness, but Roxas still found himself fixed on what Axel had said before them.

"You know my name?"

"Yeah, of course." Shading his eyes with one hand as he looked down at Roxas, Axel offered a lopsided grin. "You always pay with the same debit card."

Oh. That made sense, and now he just felt stupid again for even having asked. With a curt nod, Roxas turned back in the direction he was heading. A light hand on his shoulder stopped him, along with sending a jolt of unwanted nerves down the arm beneath it.

"But hey, I just wanted to say I was sorry. I didn't know you were still around, and it's just a dick move in general to say stuff like that about a customer."

Roxas looked up but kept his expression level.

"It's fine."

"We just get so many high-maintenance customers, especially in the morning," Axel continued, determined to say his piece, "and you're not even the worst, by far. People get ruffled about the stupidest things, and Demyx just got dumped yesterday. I was trying to cheer him up."

So…

Axel thought he was high-maintenance. That wasn't in any way humiliating.

For some unknown reason, Roxas felt the need to correct the assumption.

"Look, the drink's not even mine," he huffed. "It's for my professor who gets all up my ass if anything's even a little bit off with the instructions." With a look that implied just what he thought of Zexion's finicky directives, Roxas lifted the cup a few inches as though to illustrate. "I'm super low-key about food orders, and I wouldn't know what to complain about anyway. I don't even like coffee."

Axel blinked.

"You don't?"

Letting out the breath he'd just taken in, shoulders finally relaxing, Roxas shook his head.

"What are the odds?" A light chuckle. "I don't either. I'm just good at making the stuff."

Uh...huh.

Unsure what to else say, Roxas found himself shifting his weight between both feet, then transferring Zexion's drink from one hand to the other.

"Well, I should probably, uh."

He gestured vaguely in the direction of campus.

"Yeah." Axel nodded. "I should get back too. I've still got a few hours before my shift's over."

Feeling a little better but no less awkward around someone he'd been clandestinely admiring since he'd started visiting the cafe, Roxas turned and took a few hesitant steps. That was that. Conflict resolved. Kind of.

"Actually, I was wondering something."

Axel again. And his voice sounded closer, despite the extra feet Roxas had just put between them. By the time Roxas turned, it was clear Axel had made up the distance in the interim few seconds.

"I usually grab food at one of the college restaurants when work lets out. Wanna meet up for lunch in a couple of hours? My treat."

As Roxas searched for the right words, he tried keep himself still. No more moving from foot to foot, or coffee drink fidgeting. Just one adult talking to another. That was the aim, anyway. Because what he said still sounded awkward as heck.

"Uh. You don't have to do that. It's really okay."

"Yeah, well." Axel fixed him with a look that was hard to read. "What if I'd been planning to ask you to lunch even before this?"

Roxas' carefully maintained expression faltered.

"What?"

Another smile from Axel, then a follow-up nod.

"I've been trying to work up the nerve for awhile now, but you always come in during our busiest hour, which hasn't really helped."

When Roxas still stayed silent, Axel looked down. His hands moved to his pockets, weight shifting between both feet under him just a little.

"I mean, no pressure." Two fingers fidgeted with one of the ties on his apron. "And no offense if going out with a guy isn't your thing and I totally misread you."

The heat at his neck returned. This time, it took on an entirely new connotation for Roxas.

"Uh. Yeah, you didn't." He offered a shy smile as Axel looked back up. "And that'd be nice. Having lunch."

"Yeah?"

Roxas nodded.

"Yeah."

As far as Roxas was concerned, the look he received in response was well worth whatever punishment Zexion had waiting on account of his abject tardiness.

"Cool, okay." Axel regained his composure in record time. "Lunch at one. Let's meet in the quad."

As Axel turned, Roxas caught the tail end of a delighted smile. He watched as Axel began to walk off, back in the direction of the coffee shop, only to stop a few feet away and look back at him.

"And no coffee this time. Not even a mention of it. Promise." Axel winked, tone turning playful. "I'll wipe its existence from my short-term memory, if necessary. Blank with a capital B."

As the light turned and Axel disappeared into the crowd of people traversing the crosswalk, Roxas rolled his eyes, then took a moment to savor the exchange before resuming his trek toward campus, come what may with Zexion.

 _Yeah_ , he thought. _The quad. Lunch at one. I'll be waiting._


End file.
